The Australian dollar banknotes have quite literally changed the world.

In the late 19 sixties, with the release of the first color photocopiers came a wave of counterfeit banknotes back there in Australia's money was still made out of paper and not particularly advanced in terms of security features.

In other words, it was fairly easy to make a convincing fake.

And so Australia came up with an idea.

What if they made their banknotes out of plastic?

It was an idea that would go on to revolutionize world currency when, two decades later, after various failed prototypes and trials, three country released the world's first ever polymer bank note. 00:00:53.240 --> 00:01:4.660 Theo Year 1988 coincided with Australia's bicentenary 200 years of European settlement. 00:01:4.670 --> 00:01:18.830 On the no reflects this theme the front season aboriginal youth, with the Morning Star polled symbolizing the original settlement around 50,000 years Earlier on, then the reverse commemorates European settlement with the first ship to arrive in Sydney Harbor.

Hate us supply in the hologram can be seen.

Captain James Cook.

Now this note changed everything.

Its release was a tremendous success on Australia went on to introduce the first complete polymer, Siri's starting in 1992 a series that remains in circulation even today on many countries have since adopted the technology themselves, including Canada, New Zealand, Romania and Vietnam, with a ton of other countries still in the process of phasing it.

In such a united kingdom, not only are polymer banknotes more secure, but on average, they last two and 1/2 times longer within expected life span of seven years. 00:01:57.950 --> 00:02:1.670 This obviously reduces production costs on at the end of their life. 00:02:1.680 --> 00:02:3.150 There ought to be recycled. 00:02:4.180 --> 00:02:7.290 What's more, a lot of paper banknotes aren't actually paper. 00:02:7.300 --> 00:02:23.880 Three U S dollar, for instance, is 75% cotton, which requires large quantities of water and pesticides to produce every stage of the polymer life cycle, is more environmentally friendly, so they're cheaper, greener, more durable, on harder to counterfeit.

When I say these pain does change the world, that's really not hyperbole on Now, with some 31 years later, Australia is in the middle of releasing their second series, which are some of the most beautiful and advanced banknotes ever to be released.

Let's start with the five.

First thing you'll notice is that it's the same size and color as a previous version on both featured the queen on the front on Parliament house in camera on the reverse.

This new series is very much a modern update, as opposed to an all out redesign.

It's been over 25 years since the previous Siri's was released after all. 00:02:59.240 --> 00:03:1.250 So what exactly has changed? 00:03:2.100 --> 00:03:9.400 While most notably, the new note has this entire transparent window dividing it into making it near impossible to counterfeit. 00:03:9.850 --> 00:03:28.170 At the top is a commonwealth star on at the bottom, the Federation Pavilion on the pavilion has this incredible feature called the Reversing five, where depending on the angle of five appears either normally or backwards on a birth theme has been introduced within Aatif avian species featured on each denomination.

On the five is Eastern Spine Bill, seeing on the far left in color changing ink as well as in the transparent window, including a holographic diagram off the bird in flight.

It's also rather strikingly visible under UV light.

Each note now also features a species of Australian water, and it's a prickly Moses.

What all that can be seen on this one If you look carefully with a magnifying glass, the plant stem in the transparent window is actually micro print made up of the line from the Australian Constitution. 00:03:59.100 --> 00:04:4.900 Onda tactile feature has been added to help the blind or partially sighted easily identify the denomination. 00:04:6.920 --> 00:04:10.890 Once again, the new $10 shares many similarities with its predecessor.

Its front features a B banjo Paterson on Australian Bush poet on its reverse day, Mary Gilmore on Important Australian writer.

And there are many references to bunt for them on the note, including the tip of a pen at the top of the window on a typical homestead from both their works.

At the bottom with the reversing 10 featured Bird is a sulphur crested cockatoo, again seen under UV light, and it's no features the bramble water.

Like the five.

Its stem consists of micro prints, extracts from Gilmore on Patterson's poems.

No phone shall gather our harvest on the man from Snowy River for some bizarre reason.

Australia skip the $20 bill on went straight to the 50.

The 20 is due to be released in October 2019.

On will retain many of its current features with the addition of a laughing cooker. 00:04:59.750 --> 00:05:4.960 Borrow Boxley Foretell final new release is a $50. 00:05:5.280 --> 00:05:10.380 It's Frances David Eun iPod on indigenous Australian preacher, inventor and author.

What's the reverse?

Portrays Edith Coward, the first Australian woman to serve as a member of Parliament.

It also features a black swan in the window in color changing ink on under UV light on the Cape York Wattles.

Symbols in the transparent window include an open book at the top on the Rockin Church where You Nippon was born and grew up with the reversing 50 on then, the micro print stem is made up of lines from his book Tails Off Australian Aborigines on cow ones, made in speech to parliament.

Lastly, the $100 bill hasn't been updated yet, but it's expected to be released in 2020 and will probably looks something like this. 00:05:49.940 --> 00:06:2.330 The current version sees Dainelli Melber on Australian operatic soprano who became one of the most prominent singers of her time on the reverse portrays search on Ma Nash, one of the country's greatest military commanders. 00:06:2.640 --> 00:06:10.110 Theo Australian dollar is without a doubt the most innovative currency in the world, and certainly one of the most beautiful.

Even today, 31 years after the release of that first polymer note, country continues to lead the planet at the cutting edge off banknote design.